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Close to the lobby that was very handy, although... - Review of Arenas del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

This is one of the most beautiful places on earth and the hotel itself, the grounds, the staff and the wildlife that lives on the property make it all the more special. I cannot single out any of the staff, they were all incredible. One of the guides, however, who works at the resort is exceptionally special. His name is Ersel, and if you want a very exceptional tour through the rain forest, please ask for him personally. We did both the morning and evening "hikes" with Ersel and both were terrific. You can check him out on YouTube. Enter Erselcostarica.Back to the hotel: our room was close to the lobby (that was very handy, although if you are farther away, the golf cart will pick you up anytime 24/7). If you want to be in town, choose another place. Cab ride is $10 each way (no problem getting a cab). For us, it was worth it in spades. Several good restaurants in town, all prices and easy to get to (for $10). Other excursions we did were white water rafting and zip lining, both booked through the hotel and both excellent. Biggest problem: you will not want to come home.

Our experience at Arenas del Mar was phenomenal. Not only was the hotel staff friendly and wonderful, the hotel itself is incredible--right in the middle of a rainforest. We literally saw monkeys every day, and we were there for 5 days! The staff was very helpful, and fun to talk to. One of the members of staff even brought us home-made ceviche when we expressed interest in his recipe. I can not recommend this place highly enough.

Dear Anaiskicking,greetings from Manuel Antonio and Arenas del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort. Thanks for spending your honeymoon with us. We are thrilled to hear that we were able to exceed your expectations. Your review points out what we consider our great strengths. The location in the rain forest with direct beach access and Ocean views and of course our local staff that will not only try to provide the best service, but also allow you connect with our local culture and customs. In your case, you were able to try some local ceviche. Other guests have been invited to join us for a soccer game at the beach or take part in our salsa dancing lessons. We hope you come back again soon or send your friends and family. Your comments are a great motivator for us to do things even better in the future. All the best,

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The location of this hotel was amazing. Fantastic views of the ocean through the jungle. Every where we looked there were sloths and iguanas. Wanted to see a few more monkeys but it is nature and that cannot be controlled. The pool and restaurants were fantastic. The service was wonderful. I did have some trouble booking the hotel because their online payment system was down. They allowed me to pay in person after arrival but only after weeks of trying to confirm the reservation which was frustrating. The rooms were okay. Everything felt damp. The bathroom was old. The rooms need to be redone and a dehumidifier system should be put in because even the clothes we did not wear were damp and gross after a couple days. I would still recommend this hotel because of the location, amenities, and service of the hotel but we tried to spend as little time as possible in the room because of the damp environment.

We truly had the best vacation of our lives at Arenas Del Mar. I will limit our many compliments to the key highlights:1) The property itself is very special. Many (maybe most) hotels in the Manuel Antonio area do not have beach access. Arenas del Mar is right on the beach, including a restaurant with tables on the sand. The lobby/main restaurant and some of the rooms are on a ridge maybe 150 feet above the beach with fantastic ocean views. Other rooms and the beach facilities are below and have great views of the beach and surf. There is an ample staff of very friendly, very helpful assistants that shuttle the guests up and down the hill on golf carts at a moments notice. We found this to be very convenient and very friendly - they often pointed out monkeys, sloths and other wildlife that was around the property at the moment.2) The animal life is exciting, but not intrusive. We saw sloths, monkeys, iguanas and our favorite - agouties (look it up!) There was also a porcupine that liked to hang out at the beach bar. During our stay we did excursions for zip lining, hanging bridges, and whitewater rafting. All were great fun, and the Arenas staff was able to arrange all of it, including finding us an excellent baby sitter when given only 2 hours notice. I'm sure there are many good ones, but we recommend the head in-house tour guide, Ursell, for visits to the Manuel Antonio Park or the hanging bridges. The rafting on the Savegre river was a particular highlight. We highly recommend a rafting guide at Iguana Tours that goes by the name of "MEGA". He was a good balance of fun and safety.2) The food is very good, including breakfast, which has complimentary fresh juice, baked treats and fruit. Our 6 year old son asked for Froot Loops cereal since there is a toucan on the box and real toucans live near the resort. The next day, the waiter was pleased to report to him that they had bought some Froot Loops for him!Overall, a fun, relaxing place with high-level service that is also family-friendly.

Nothing can really prepare you for the experience at Arenas del Mar. It can be a bit tricky to find, but the effort is rewarded with what is undoubtedly one of the most luxurious, picturesque and hospitable resorts in the Manuell Antonio area. Nestled away from the maddening crowd and as one of the few hotels with an actual private beach, this hotel was a very pleasant surprise. In addition, the staff was contentious, friendly and knowledgeable. They seemed always interested in providing us with an enjoyable time. The food was excellent and the included breakfast was certainly a bonus. Rooms were spacious, clean and well appointed. Internet worked well and was very fast. Free calling to the US were a pleasant surprise, as well. Highly recommended.

We visited in May 2013 for our daughters wedding. Wish we had stayed the entire time. Customer service was great and it was so beautiful. If I ever go back I would return here! Very memorable. The wildlife was spectacular!

We spent 2 nights at the Arenas del Mar Resort in MA in July. We had been to many fabulous and luxury hotels including Waldorf properties and I have to say that we were impressed by this hotel due to the staff customer service and the breath taking property. This is one of the few properties in this area with direct access to the beach. The staff is A+, with excellent customer service, knowledge and also with a sense or pride... if you take one of their complementary "behind the scenes" tours to see how they run the place and teach you how to make tortillas you will understand why and their values (check out internal employee board). Our room had a view to the ocean and also to the Forrest. The room was perfect. The food at their restaurant is very very good! They have happy hours too and the bartenders make great cocktails. We will definitely come back to this place!!!

Located within walking distance of Manuel Antonio National Park, Arenas Del Mar is an extraordinary beachfront and rainforest resort catering to travelers looking for more than the typical luxury hotel experience. Stunning, luxurious, and sustainable, our hotel has 38 rooms with exclusive beach and nature views, nestled in eleven acres of rainforest with private trails and two tree-shaded white sand beaches. Unique among the hotels in Manuel Antonio, our carbon-neutral property offers sustainable, luxurious lodging. As well, we are proud to be the first Costa Rican luxury hotel to have been awarded the Five Sustainability Leaf Award and a Five Star Award. With this stunning location and a myriad of personalized services, on-property activities and land and water-based tours catered for honeymooning couples and families alike, Arenas Del Mar is the perfect base for exploring on your Manuel Antonio vacation....more less

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